Article: Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher Of The Month - May 2018

[Seth Stohs]

On Monday, we announced that Todd Van Steensel was our choice for May Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. Today, it’s time to announce the Twins Daily choice for the May Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. There were a few really good choices, guys that put up strong numbers during the month.Our April Starting Pitcher of the Month was Aaron Slegers. Before we get to our Top 4 starting pitchers for the month of May, here is a list of a couple others who deserve to be recognized for a solid final month of the season.

 

HONORABLE MENTION

• Randy LeBlanc - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 21.1 IP, 3-0, 2.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20 H, 4 BB, 18 K
• Stephen Gonsalves - Rochester Red Wings - 6 GS, 27.0 IP, 4-1, 4.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 19 H, 16 BB, 33 K
• Sean Poppen - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 20.2 IP, 1-2, 2.61 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17 H, 11 BB, 24 K
• Tyler Wells - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 18.2 IP, 1-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 18 H, 5 BB, 13 K..

THE TOP FOUR STARTING PITCHERS

 

#4 - RHP Zack Littell - Rochester Red Wings - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 30 K

You may have heard that Littell will be making his Major League debut on Tuesday for the Twins. Littell came to the Twins before the trade deadline last year. The Twins got their one start from Jaime Garcia and then dealt him to the Yankees in exchange for Littell and Dietrich Enns. After an incredible 2017 season between three teams (in High A and Double A), Littell struggled in April at Chattanooga, but he was promoted to Rochester in late April. All five of his appearances in May were for the Red Wings. Littell went six innings in all four of his starts. Each was a quality start. He worked four innings, piggybacking after Trevor May made a May 17 start for the Red Wings. Opponents hit just .200/.274/.340 (.614) in May.

#3 - LHP Bryan Sammons - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 1-1, 2.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 15 H, 6 BB, 18 K

Sammons was the Twins eighth-round pick a year ago out of Western Carolina. The left-handed starter has had a solid season for the Kernels yet has just one win to show for it. In May, he picked up just one win despite pitching well. Opponents hit just .192/.284/.333 (.617) against him. He gave up two or fewer runs in each of his May starts and ended the month with his best outing. It included a career-high eight strikeouts over six innings.

#2- Omar Bencomo - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings - 6 G, 4-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 29 H, 3 BB, 27 K

The 29-year-old from Venezuela began playing pro ball in 2007. He spent the 2016 season between Chattanooga and Rochester. Last year, he was in the Marlins organization. He’s again proven valuable to the Twins in the upper levels, filling in rotation spots in the upper levels wherever needed. He made six appearances during the month. His last start came with the Red Wings and he threw six, one-hit, scoreless innings. For the month, opponents hit just .218/.241/.323 (564) against him for the month.

 

And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is:

 

Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Brusdar Graterol - 4 GS, 2-1, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 29 K

 

“It’s pretty impressive. He’s just a freak. You just don’t see guys like that very often. I have a hard time thinking back on anybody that I remember having that type of arm.”

Those are the words and phrases that Cedar Rapids manager Toby Gardenhire used to describe hard-throwing Brusdar Graterol.

Graterol is the hard-throwing 19-year-old from Venezuela who has been dominant during his short stint with the Kernels. In each of his starts, he has hit triple digits multiple times, topping out at 101 mph. In addition, Graterol has a sharp slider and a pretty good changeup. “Pretty good” isn’t a ringing endorsement, but Graterol is young and will continue to develop it.

Gardenhire continued, speaking to Graterol’s pitches, but also his inconsistency. “It’s a very smooth arm action. That’s going to allow him to develop a good breaking ball, and it’s going to allow him to develop a good change up too which is going to be really impressive to see once he gets going. You see signs of it now where you’ll be like ‘Wow, that’ was a good breaking ball’ or ‘that was a good changeup.’ But he’s just having trouble being consistent with it because he’s 19-years-old. He had one start here where he gave up one hit through five (innings). Nobody was going to hit him. You could have put him in a Double A game and nobody would have hit him. We also see where he’s inconsistent, he does things a little different. He misses the zone a little. And that’s going to happen too. It’s all part of the learning curve. You just don’t see guys with that much talent and ability and strength and everything. He’s a rock.”

The right-hander has a very strong, thick base which helps him generate so much power. In May, opponents hit just .179/.238/.256 (.495) against him. The sky is the limit with him. Graterol had Tommy John surgery in mid-2015 and missed the entire 2016 season. He returned in 2017 and split time between Extended Spring Training, the GCL and Elizabethton.

Gardenhire added, “When he’s good, he really starts sinking it too. You see a little bit of movement. Yesterday (last Saturday), he struggled with that. He flattens out a little when he gets a little bit off. When he’s got the movement going. I mean, he’s throwing 100 with movement and a a slider and a changeup. That’s the potential. He’s got the potential to be a big league Ace. ”

Graterol is currently on the disabled list of the Kernels with a hand contusion.

Seth Scouting Report

Since I saw Graterol in Cedar Rapids last weekend, I thought it would be fun to write up something about it. So here it goes. I’ve never seen a better pitching prospect than Brusdar Graterol. Yes, he has the fastball that hits 101. But what’s impressive is that his delivery is so smooth that it doesn’t look like he’s throwing that hard. Having watched him in the bullpen, his slider is sharp and bites late. As Gardenhire said, it can be inconsistent, as you would expect. But when I saw it break like it’s supposed to, it could be a huge strikeout pitch. And, I saw him throw several changeups. It appears to me to be a pitch that could be at least average in time, if not even better than that. He uses the same delivery, and he gets a little arm-side tail to it. Teammates talked about his work ethic, particularly in the weight room. He is strong and lifts a ton.

I watched a few of Fernando Romero’s Triple A starts online this year, and I’ve watched him MLB starts. He has been much better in the big leagues than he was in AAA. I don’t feel like I’m going too far out on a limb to say that Graterol has a better fastball, a better slider, a better changeup, works quicker and has been control than Romero. Now. (And again, this is not a knock on Fernando Romero who is a very good prospect who ranks highly and has a lot of room for growth.)

In other words, if he can stay healthy, he is a guy who could move up very quickly. I have little doubt that he should end this season in Ft. Myers with some possibility of a few appearances in Chattanooga. I could see him getting a spring training invite, and if so, the big league staff will want him around. I could see him starting next season in Chattanooga and being called up by the All-Star break. There are several IFs in that timeline, but I don’t feel like it is far-fetched by any means.

Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of May, Cedar Rapids right-hander Brusdar Graterol.

 

Feel free to discuss and ask questions.

 

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[jokin]

 

 

In other words, if he can stay healthy, he is a guy that could move up very quickly. I have little doubt that he should end this season in Ft. Myers with some possibility of a few appearances in Chattanooga

 

When the normally conservative Seth Stohs has you on the triple-level fast-track trajectory this year, and compares him as favorably superior to the Twins #1 pitching prospect, you gotta believe this kid really will be in the Twins rotation by the All Star break in 2019.

 

And... it doesn't hurt his chances in Graterol having his TJ surgery already well out of the way, either.

Edited June 5, 2018 by jokin

[beckmt]

I am thinking more like mid 2020.

[ThejacKmp]

Yeah 2020 sounds right.

 

Thanks for the write-up Seth. Not to nitpick too much but it is tail not tale. Unless the batters are telling stories about his changeup. Which could be true.

[Seth Stohs]

 

When the normally conservative Seth Stohs has you on the triple-level fast-track trajectory this year, and compares him as favorably superior to the Twins #1 pitching prospect, you gotta believe this kid really will be in the Twins rotation by the All Star break in 2019.

 

And... it doesn't hurt his chances in Graterol having his TJ surgery already well out of the way, either.

 

I fully acknowledge that a mid-2019 timeline is remarkably aggressive. I'm not saying it's likely. I'm just not saying it's impossible. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I am thinking more like mid 2020.

 

I would say that is probably a more realistic timeline. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Yeah 2020 sounds right.

 

Thanks for the write-up Seth. Not to nitpick too much but it is tail not tale. Unless the batters are telling stories about his changeup. Which could be true.

 

Updated... thank you!

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Just wow! What an incredible report. Thanks for boosting the hope of all Twins' fans who read TD.

[caninatl04]

I write this knowing there is maybe a 1% chance of this coming true, but isn't the pitching staff starting five kind of set from, say, 2021 to 2025?

 

(In no order)

Graterol

Romero

Berrios

Gonsalves

and just one of the large handful of five or six pitchers who should be up by then.

 

And it will be (relatively) cheap!

[Han Joelo]

Exciting stuff re: Graterol.  Seems like he should be shooting up prospect lists.

[rdehring]

Thanks Seth.  After yesterday's struggles from Littell, I needed something positive this morning.  And Graterol is someone we all should be excited about.

[108Stitches]

I legitimately believe Tyler Wells will be in this rotation. At some point. Too much upside

[FormerMinnasotan]

I hope that the “injuries” to Graterol are minor. It’s a little concerning he’s already been on the DL twice. He looks like a mix of Felix Hernandez and Jose Fernandez.

[nicksaviking]

Romero got called up much sooner than we expected while the supposedly more polished Gonsalves still hasn't had his look. I think this new front office is very open to rapid advancements for guys with great stuff.

[DocBauer]

I legitimately believe Tyler Wells will be in this rotation. At some point. Too much upside

I don't disagree at all. With a little more consistency, he seems to have been a potential steal. But to me, I'd still think Thorpe is the better possibility.

 

Berrios

Romero

Graterol

Gonsalves

Thorpe

 

And all home grown!